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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 10 · Chapter 40: The Prayers of Akrūra

10.40.22 10.40.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.40.23

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Akrūrasince 10.40.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

भगवन् जीवलोकोऽयं मोहितस्तव मायया ।

अहं ममेत्यसद्ग्राहो भ्राम्यते कर्मवर्त्मसु ॥ २३ ॥

bhagavan jīva-loko ’yaṁ

mohitas tava māyayā

ahaṁ mamety asad-grāho

bhrāmyate karma-vartmasu

Translation

O Supreme Lord, the living entities in this world are bewildered by Your illusory energy. Becoming involved in the false concepts of “I” and “my,” they are forced to wander along the paths of fruitive work.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

False Ownership Keeps Us Wandering

1
Living entities in this world are bewildered by the Supreme Lord’s illusory energy.
2
In this bewilderment, they accept false concepts of “I” and “my.”
3
These false concepts force them to wander along the paths of fruitive work, or work done for its results.

How it feels

Anxiety and conflict → Liberation and joy. Heroic victory is complicated by separation from Vraja.

Chapters 39–45 of Canto 10: Mathurā, Kaṁsa and reunion with parents. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 40: The Prayers of Akrūra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

These living beings, bewildered by His Māyā, wander along the path of material work, falsely identifying with body, home and so forth. Under the sway of illusion, a foolish person may overlook a reservoir of water covered by grass and leaves and instead run after a mirage.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.40